My current work in progress:

The Printemps Shawlette pattern is complete and available for sale on Ravelry, here.

Like Miss Woodhouse, it’s a “more than a triangle shawl.” You work double the increases on the outer edges as you do on the inner edges to get this shape.

To make it a more open and airy design, the lace motif for the body of this shawl features a double yarnover – you wrap your yarn around the needle twice in a row. As you work back on the wrong side over these two yarnovers on the wrong side, you will purl the first yarnover and knit the second yarnover.

The unblocked shawl measured 44” across the top and 16” down the center back.

Blocked it measures 56” across and 25” down the center back. These measurements are approximate, of course, because they depend on how severely you block your piece.

It has the somewhat uninspired working name of “Chevron Shawlette” due to the fact that the body pattern features a chevron motif. This one is a triangle shawl, just for a change.

The yarn is MadelineTosh Tosh Sock in the “Clover” colorway — such a soft pretty green, don’t you think? And it’s a dream to knit — so soft and springy.

I’m nearing completion on this, but the pattern won’t be available immediately. I have an idea for another shawl using the same pattern, but in a different shape. I’ll start on that when I complete this baby, and then offer both in one pattern.

The Talisman shawl has been released from bondage! Here it is, being worn by Gwendolyn.

A couple of you asked when the pattern would be available. I’m working on it as we speak. 🙂

And a couple of you were spot-on about what my new project is:

Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague.

Yeah, I don’t knit a lot of things by other designers, but this is my Christmas break knitting. 😉 I’m not designing, just happily following a pattern.

I am using a lovely lovely yarn from Dragonfly Fibers called Dragonsock:

The colorway is called “Green Riptide.” It’s pretty much heaven in a skein for a lover of all things green, like me.

I bought two skeins of it when I visited Fibrespace last month, with the thought of using it for a shawl or shawlette. So I’ve got 780 yards, which is plenty for the larger-sized Ishbel.

I’m using a U.S. size 4 needle and am loving the fabric that makes on the stockinette section.

In other news, I went into work today. The government was offering unscheduled leave for today, but today was my last day at work before my holiday leave — I’m off until January 4 — and there were a few loose ends I needed to tie up. The commute went fine as the streets around me are pretty much clear. The only issue was the train station parking lot. Black ice on asphalt in the dark makes me extremely nervous. I crept along and got to the sidewalk without any slipping or falling, so all is well.

And now I’m home, home, home. Not that I’m happy about that or anything.

It was right thoughty of some of you to offer to come and help me with me stash. 😉

I did make some good organizational in-roads into the stash yesterday, but got sidetracked by switching my closets from summer to winter. Still, I can see the bed in the stash room, so that’s a start.

But all this industrious organization means that little knitting got done. However, I’m about done with my first skein of Mini Maiden on the Two-Thirds Shawl.

I’ve got two skeins and each skein is about 550 yards. So at this point I’m more than halfway done with the shawl because I don’t anticipate using the entire second skein. The shawl is measuring about 15″ (unblocked) down from the center back at this point. I don’t plan on blocking it too aggressively, and I don’t think I want it more than 22 — 24″ long. So I am poised for last minute adjustments to my pattern.

I did actually knit a bit on my Bamboo sock.

It is knit from Wollmeise 100% merino superwash, which has 575 yards per skein, so I can pretty much knit this baby with as long a leg as I want. I think I’ll keep going for at least a couple more inches.

I may finish this sock before I leave for Oklahoma on Thursday, in which case I’ll cast on the second sock and take just that one along for travel knitting.

The suspense is killing me.

When I got home from work today and picked up my packages from the condo office, this is what they handed me:

It was just one of those days . . .

Meanwhile, Lucy is showing off her fluffy little “cataloons:”

You can tell by the vacuum cleaner tracks in the carpet that my cleaning lady was here today. I love her.

This took approximately 600 yards of dk/light sportweight weight yarn — Lorna’s Laces Pearl, in the “Mineshaft” colorway. I used 3 100-gram skeins (220 yards each) and had 30 grams leftover from the last skein. US 7 (4.5mm) needle.

What will you do if it you take it off the needles and don’t really like how it looks?

Good question. I’m pretty sure I’ll like it if it is anything the way it looks in my mind’s eye, but you never know. If I find it loathsome, I could always give it away as a gift to some poor unsuspecting victim.

Actually, I don’t have a final disposition in mind for it anyway. It may be destined to be a kitty bed for Lucy.

Well . . . I’m aiming for somewhere between 60 and 72″ in diameter. I should be able to estimate fairly well when it’s time to stop knitting on the body of it and knit the edging on. I can measure out from the center and stretch as I measure and get a rough estimate of the size.

I bought 4 skeins of the yarn and I’m slightly less than halfway through the second skein, so I’ve got plenty of yarn. The edging I plan to use is a very simple small one, so it won’t take more than half a skein (I think), but I’ll be sure to stop knitting on the body while I still have at least a full skein left. My gut instinct is that I’ll be ready to stop before that anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how close I come.

I won’t name the design until it is off the needles and I can see what I think it looks like.

Oh, and I’ve got an idea for another circular shawl with a construction different from this one. But I’ll finish this first.

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